Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Pretty little buffet

Score! 

I have been looking for a small buffet for my little dining room for a while now.  I have scoured the flea markets, junk shops, ebay, antique stores...you name it.  Why no furniture stores you ask??  Because I am cheap love a bargain!  And I wanted something with a little character.

After months of searching I came across this little beauty on Craigslist..


I was totally in LOVE with the barley twist legs on the base and the posts on the upper piece, the pearl bead moulding in a diamond pattern on the doors and the old mirror on the top were just extra special.  I, however, was NOT loving the cheap black latex paint someone slopped on her or the cheap silver knobs. 

But with a little elbow grease and a ton of stripper, I knew I could bring her back to her former glory.

So the long painful slow process of restoring her began.  [Why a "her"??  Just look at those legs...pure beauty.]

 First I had to clean out all the years of dirt and grime.  She didn't smell very good after years of sitting in the garage of the guy's house that I bought her from.  A little Murphy's Oil Soap and warm water got her all cleaned up and smelling great! 
I taped off the mirror and put on a heavy layer of paint stripper!  Yuck!!!

Looking better already!

A little before and after all in one piece.


Look at those GORGEOUS barley twist legs...and the feet!!  I could die!

She is looking so good.  LOVE!!!!
 
 
 
 

I still need to find some knobs or pulls, but I am so excited with how she turned out!  So pretty!!!  Don't ya think?

Oh and she needs some better accessorizing and the dining room needs to be repainted.  But one thing at a time.  For now, this is one project that is FINISHED!

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15 comments:

  1. Very pretty! Those legs and feet are beautiful! Totally brave of you to stripped this piece and totally worth it. -Angela @ Mrs. White Twig and Tea

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    1. Thanks! It was hard work, but I knew there just had to be something beautiful underneath that paint if I could get to it!!

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  2. I love that you brought this vintage piece back to the original look. Nowadays so many are proud of painting these old pieces - like whoever did the black look of this piece. You are to be commended for your hard work and the quality you have achieved!

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    1. Thanks! I knew this could be a beautiful piece and I was hoping that it wasn't a mess under the paint. I like some painted pieces, and I knew I could go that route if I had to, but I had to take a chance on the original woodwork!

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  3. I love, love, love, that you brought this back to it's original beauty! I admit that I paint a lot of pieces, but that is because I buy stuff that is way past it's prime (missing veneer, mix matched wood fixes etc.) I just bought a piece that I am on the border with and will post on my blog soon. I'd love if you would check it out.

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    1. I understand painting a piece that isn't in great condition. And that was my back-up plan for this piece if when I got down to the bare wood there was some damage. But luckily, the buffet's wood was just as I hoped!

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  4. thank you so much for striping the paint off that terrific buffet. you can get period knobs from Renovations, I think

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  5. Totally worth all the work!! She is right up there w/ Miss America! Lovely!

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  6. looks great what an awesome find persistence pays off

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  7. Looks amazing! I can't even imagine how much work and scraping that was, but it was totally worth it.

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    1. It was worth the effort! Although, I may think twice about stripping another piece anytime soon! Haha :)

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  8. Why can't I find anything this fantastic on Craigs List?!?!?! She is BEE-YOU-TEA-FULL and I love that you loved her enough to strip her down to her natural beauty. Way to go!

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